Gyeonggi Office of Education to Pursue Legal Amendments for School Management Committee Review Procedures on Learning Support Software

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education has decided to submit a proposal to amend the law regarding the school management committee review process for learning support software as an official agenda item to the Council of Education Superintendents of Korea for discussion.

This proposal was brought forward by Im Taehee, Superintendent of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, and was agreed upon by the superintendents of Seoul and Incheon during the Metropolitan Area Superintendents’ Council meeting held on January 8.

If the proposal is adopted as an official agenda item by the Council of Education Superintendents of Korea, it will be submitted to the Ministry of Education.

Superintendent Im Taehee emphasized the need to revise the relevant laws, stating, "Most provincial and metropolitan offices of education, including the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, operate public teaching and learning platforms, which are structurally different from the digital textbook (AIDT) system where personal information is accumulated by publishers."

The provincial office plans to implement measures to reduce the workload at schools even before the law is amended.

To this end, in consultation with the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), the office plans to require suppliers of public institution platforms such as Hi-Learning and private learning support software to directly complete and provide checklists, which will then be uploaded to EduZip.

Im Taehee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (center), is taking a commemorative photo with Jung Geunsik, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and Do Seunghun, Superintendent of Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, on the 8th. Provided by Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

Schools will be able to simply download these materials and attach them to the agenda for the school management committee review, thereby significantly streamlining administrative procedures.

In addition, a standardized review form (sample) will be provided for use in school management committee reviews, further minimizing the documentation burden for each school.

Superintendent Im Taehee stated, "It is important to improve the system so that schools can focus on education rather than administration," adding, "We will actively pursue practical system improvements and discussions on legal amendments to reduce the burden on the field."

Meanwhile, teachers’ organizations have pointed out that the administrative workload, such as preparing for school management committee reviews and drafting various materials during the adoption of learning support software, is being excessively shifted onto teachers. They are calling for stronger accountability from suppliers and a simplification of the review procedures.